My Time with Lily Greenwood
by Jennifer Wilson
Summary: Constables Lily Greenwood and Patricia Brown move to London where they meet Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson in a warehouse. Very Alternate Universe.
1. First Meeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock Holmes and Co. They belong to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I own Lily Greenwood and Patricia Brown.

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"Lily, can you please tell me again why are we moving to London?" I asked my friend

"Pat, we were transferred here because the commissionaire could not stand us solving more cases than the men! Besides, I think London is much more interesting than Surrey." Lily answered. My name is Patricia Brown and my friend is Lily Greenwood. I was an American and she, British. We had met in the Surrey police station and were part of the constabulary.

The commissionaire applauded us on our good work and offered to transfer us to another position in London. Lily had noticed the false smile and talked with him afterwards, during which I could see that he got more nervous and scared as Lily talked to him. Finally, he broke down and admitted that he had purposely sent us to London so that he could get rid of us. We were, as he said, drawing eyes away from the work at hand. Lily gave a few threatening words to him and we went to London by the 7.15.

We went to Scotland Yard and registered ourselves there, during which there were a lot of cat calling and goggle eyes. We received our duties and went off. Lily and I had just enough time before leaving to order a pig-faced Sergeant to buzz off before finding an apartment. There was a suitable apartment at 220 Baker Street and we rented it from the landlady. The next few days were spent in unpacking and doing our duties. Both of us were in charge of the Thames. I had reckoned that the river would smell bad but had almost fainted when I went there the first time. It was so horrible! I doubt even the dung at Fred's would have smelt worse. Lily was not affected and I strongly suspect that she had gone there before. We charged up and down the river everyday and I soon got used to the smell.

It was, according to my diary, two months after we received our new duties. Lily and I were near the docks when Lily saw a small man who bumped into her and did not apologize to us. Lily was quite angry and purposely tied a net near the back door so that he would get trapped and Lily could scold him.

Then, I heard some bumping noises in the warehouse. Lily had heard it too, and we crept to the warehouse. There was a fight going on. Then there was a sudden blow and we were conscious of the pungent smell of burning charcoal. I was about to charge in when Lily held me back. "We should wait until the men are gone." She said quietly. "How many men are there?" I whispered to my friend. "There should be five; two good and three bad including the one who had bumped into me by the sounds of their voices. Now, the thugs are tying the two gentlemen up and leaving by the back door. They would be caught in my trap. We can charge in!" with that, the two of us ran into the warehouse. I saw two dark figures tied up and gagged. We got them up and ran out of the place, throwing the box containing burning charcoal into the river. Lily found them red faced and blue-lipped. They had obviously lost conscious a while ago. Lily breathed air into the taller one while I breathed air into the other one. We pumped air into their lungs as well and finally, we could hear them breathing. "Pat, please search that one's pockets. I will search this one's. We need to find their identities." Lily told me. I found a box of cigarettes, a wallet and a pocket watch while Lily held out a pipe, a telegram and a gun. "This wallet belongs to Dr. John Watson of 221B Baker Street. Lily, should we bring him to Scotland Yard or to their home." I asked my friend. Lily was looking at the pocket watch, the telegram and the pipe. "The tall one is left handed, likes to smoke shag tobacco and likes to smoke this pipe. The shorter one is definitely a doctor and carries this watch everywhere he goes. The tall one has a relation with Scotland Yard. This is from Inspector Lestrade and is directed to Mr. Sherlock Holmes. Assuming that this is his identity, I think that a short visit to the Yard may suffice."

We went to Scotland Yard and were surrounded by gasps of amazement. We found the inspector in his office. He was pretty astonished when we laid the two unconscious men in front of him. Just then, the taller one woke up. He jumped to his feet, turning red. Then the man spoke.

"I'm sorry for this intrusion and I think I would just go back to Baker Street." He carried the other and was just about to leave the office when Lily spoke in her masculine voice. "Blimey, aren't you going to thank us for saving you!" The man looked irritated. "Constable, I am a busy man and the men who made my friend into these state are going scot-free. I am wasting my time here." The men broke free from her grasp and left the building. Lily chuckled a little. "If he had apologized to me, I would have returned his things and told him that the men are currently in a trap that caught them when they stepped out of the back door!" She told me. Inspector Lestrade stood up and headed for the door. Lily and I followed him and told him the address of the warehouse where he was kept.

At the back door of the warehouse, the large net was holding three men who was screaming and yelling at us. The tall man was there and his jaw had dropped. Lily took out a knife and cut at a rope near her. Instantly, the net sprang open and the men were out. We handcuffed the thugs and led them into Scotland Yard where they would be interrogated. The tall man remained at the Yard. "Can you please give me back my things, constable?" He told Lily. She smiled then handed over the things. "By the way, Mr. Holmes, I think that you should thank me for saving you and Dr. Watson s' lives." Lily replied. Mr. Holmes muttered thanks and took his leave.

That evening, after we had finished bathing, our landlady Mrs. Williams told us that there was a gentleman waiting outside for us. We asked the landlady to show him in. He was a short man with reddish brown hair and a mustache. Lily asked him to sit down and told him that he once was in the army, was a doctor, resides at 221B Baker Street and lives with a detective with no manners. He looked astonished and asked, "Who are you? You would have been burned if you have lived over 300 years ago! How did you know those things? They are absolutely true in every way!"

"Constable Lily Greenwood, at your service. You see, you have stuck your handkerchief in your shirt pocket, therefore the army, you are of a medical type, hence the profession, resides at 221B Baker Street, as I can see your card sticking out of your pocket. The detective is your good friend Sherlock Holmes, is he not? He was particularly rude to us when we rescued you and him from the warehouse and did not thank us until I caught the thugs for him." Lily replied. Dr. Watson hung his head in shame. "I know that Holmes had been rude, but I do not know that he was rude to a woman!" He said. "Make those two women; Dr. Watson, I am Lily's friend and colleague, Patricia Brown." I told him. Then he gave a sudden gasp, and looked at us in wonder. He opened his mouth but Lily cut him short. "Don't tell anybody including Mr. Holmes, Dr. Watson! We prefer to keep our sex male. " she shouted at him. God! She was pretty fierce when she was angry. Dr. Watson basically got a shock when he saw her angry face. He promised and then rushed out of the room in fright

"You got him, Lily! You got the frights out of him." I told her. Lily shrugged and went out for dinner. I sighed; Lily could really be so ignorant of feelings at time. This meeting could only have two outcomes. One, Mr. Holmes would come and apologise to the both of them or Two, he would come and scold her for scaring Watson out of his wits. Most probably the latter. Either way, Mr. Holmes would come to their house and see that girls have a mind of their own. That will teach him to be rude to a Greenwood.

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A/N: I would not be writing for a long time as the school year is starting and that my parents have forced me on a trip to Desaru Fruit Farm, Malaysia during the next two days and there would be no computers. Please Review!


	2. The Rivalry heats up!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock Holmes and Co. I only own Lily Greenwood and Patricia Brown.

It was about eight o' clock, one hour after Dr. Watson had left the room, that Mrs. Williams told us that a gentleman by the name of Sherlock Holmes was waiting for us. Lily invited him in. He charged in, looking very angry indeed.

"What have you done with Watson? He is stuttering like an old man! When I asked him where he has gone, he wouldn't tell me! It was only by seeing his boots did I know that he has gone to see you!" Mr. Holmes shouted. I was very angry at this sudden outburst. As for Lily, she smiled and then replied that she had told Dr. Watson that he was not allowed to tell her secret. Mr. Holmes was very annoyed, by his expression. He opened his mouth and was about to speak when he was cut short by Mrs. Williams.

"Another gentleman is here to see you, Mr. Greenwood." She told my friend. Lily asked her to let him in. A moment later, Inspector Lestrade walked into our rooms. "Mr. Holmes, there is an unidentified body washed out from the river Thames. I went to your flat but Dr. Watson told me you had gone to see Constable Greenwood." He spoke. Lily jumped from her seat and rushed down the stairs. I ran after her, followed by the two detectives. She jumped into a cab and led me in, then ordered the driver to go to the Thames, leaving Mr. Holmes and Inspector Lestrade behind. "You were pretty rude to Mr. Holmes and the inspector, Lily." I whispered to Lily. She laughed, and replied that she didn't care about them.

We reached the Thames and rushed down the river. There was a crowd near the bank of the river. Lily was pretty annoyed by the commotion. "How am I to do my duty if there is a crowd near the scene of the crime?" She complained loudly, enough to the crowd to hear that they were not wanted. She pushed her way through the crowd and spotted the body. It was a middle aged gentleman, well dressed and with cards bearing the name of James Sacks of Liverpool. Lily entered into her professional mode. She examined the body carefully. "Cause of death, strangulation. Done with a soft material, most probably silk. He is a home article and rich by the look of his dress. Other than that, he lives in Priory Road, inherited money from his dead parents and is a drunkard." She muttered. I was not amazed at this ability of hers to see facts from the smallest details. She had used it to her advantage for the Simpson's will case, the Williamson's abduction and many more.

Then a four-wheeler came along and Inspector Lestrade, Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson jumped out. Inspector Lestrade was not happy while Mr. Holmes was simply furious to see us there already. Dr. Watson just laid there, trembling at the sight of Lily. I guessed we shouldn't have startled him. Lily went up to him and told him that she had examined the crime scene and that they were looking for a woman who was six and a half feet tall, wears expensive silk dresses, uses Indian Cigarettes and likes to keep her black hair short. Then, she left the crime scene, making Mr. Holmes looking astonished at her description.

"How did you managed to know the description of the murderer, Lily?" I asked my good friend. We had returned to our apartment. "Isn't it obvious? I calculated the height from the length of her stride, her pointed heels led me to believe that she was a woman, the silk she used to strangle Mr. Sacks was from her dress. The fluffy ash of Indian Cigars is quite noticeable near the body and a strand of black hair, short in length was on his back, which made me think that it belonged to the murderer as he was lying on his back." She told me. The next day, a woman of that description was arrested. She was an Indian noblewoman who had fallen in love with Mr. Sacks but he had betrayed her by marrying another woman. She had met up with him, tried to persuade him to flee to America with her but he had refused. In anger, she had murdered him. Lily read the newspaper with some interest and had pointed to me that Inspector Lestrade had gotten all the credit. "That old inspector does not know about detection at all! Forty years in the force should have done some work, but I think that he hasn't learnt his lesson at all!" She had exclaimed. Then she went down to have a talk with Inspector Lestrade, which I later found out to have consisted of some very strong words. That had made him quit the force a few years later.

As for Lily, she resumed her normal duty at the river and was promoted to the title of inspector.


	3. Author's Note

Author's Note

If you do not want to read, you can skip this.

I have lost my heart in this story and will be doing another story, "Holmes in the 21st century". I am sorry but I have no choice.

This story shall continue when I have finished that one.

Jennifer.

P.S. My real name_ isn't_ Jennifer Wilson! So stop calling me Miss Wilson!


	4. Discovery and Separation

Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock Holmes and Co.

During my years of association with Lily Greenwood, I had no idea of her fears. It was only when she had a nightmare did I know her weakness…

"Help me! Big grey rabbits are on the loose!" Lily screamed into the night. I looked at my friend in surprise. She was afraid of bunnies?

I decided to test out my theory. First, I put a grey stuffed rabbit near her bed. Then, I would wait inside her closet and see if she is really afraid of rabbits. If she was, she would jump away in fear. If she wasn't, she would throw it away in disgust. It was completely foolproof.

What I didn't count on was that our landlady would allow visitors without our permission.

Lily had screamed and jumped away. Then, our landlady had ushered two guests into our sitting room. They heard her screams and rushed into her bedroom. I emerged from the closet and looked at them properly. I was appalled. It was Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Lestrade. They had seen our true sex.

"What on earth is going on here?" Mrs. Williams asked. She had chased after the two men and found that not only are her tenants female, Lily was also incredibly messy. She put her cigarettes box on her bedside table and her criminal relics in her drawing table. She also stuffed her files into the closet and her correspondence in the fireplace.

The two men looked around, surprised. "If I am not mistaken, this room belongs to a girl!" Holmes exclaimed. He was sitting on Lily's favorite dressing chair. Lily had recovered from her shock and was utterly angry.

"What right do you have to charge in our rooms!" She said out loud in a clear female voice. "Mr. Holmes, Inspector Lestrade, answer me!"

"It was only a joke, Lily. I had heard you screaming out "Big grey bunnies are on the loose!" in your sleep. I thought that it was just make-believe. I did not know that you are really afraid of rabbits! I was the one who placed the stuffed toy on your bed." I admitted. "But I didn't expect them" I pointed to the two detectives, "to arrive to your rescue! Now see what you have done, we are discovered and would not be allowed to work in the detective force anymore!"

"Patricia Adeline Brown, if you do not shut up, I would certainly kill you!" She had screamed. The detectives were appalled at this openness and the fact that I was female as well. "Inspector Lestrade, Pat and I resign from our duties. We can not let those utter imbeciles to know that we are female! Goodbye!" With that, she pushed them out of her room.

"Pat, we are moving to America. We can not stay in this male biased country any longer!" She screamed, packing all of her things into a suitcase. I went into my room and looked over my things. Must I really follow everything she said? Must I be always loyal to her? I could not choose. I have to tell Lily.

"I can't. I love this country and its people. You move to America. I will stay here." I told her. She looked surprised. "Pat, I thought you are my best friend!" She said, stepping back. "But when you make my decisions for me and when you shout back at the men, I could not tolerate you any longer. Now I see why you had no friends in the first place." I said quietly. Lily had shock in her features. Then she closed her mouth, opened it again and said in a harsh cold voice.

"We shall not be friends any longer, Patricia. I have to go." She grabbed her suit case and got out of the door.

That was the last time I will ever see of Lily Isabella Greenwood. I had heard she prospered in America. I continued working as a private detective and became Holmes's apprentice. I had also ceased to become Lily's chronicler and am now happily married to Dr. John Hamish Watson, Medical Department. Who says we can't have the best of both worlds.


End file.
